PLN #6

This week, I found an interesting article on the Music Ed Lounge titled Beginning Flute Notes.  I'm not a flute player, and I've never been taught anything about playing the flute, so I have no concept of the challenges that the beginning player faces.  However, I found not just this post, but also the responses very intriguing.  I was interested to look at the approaches and the reasoning that these proactive educators are using to change the way they approach traditional problems instead of using the traditional instruction methods.  I think that it is important that we allow ourselves as educators to examine not only what, but how we're teaching what we are.  Without self-evaluation and re-examination of our techniques, our art form won't grow as a whole.

Multiple Students, One Computer

Mr. Kirk Kassner does a fantastic job of addressing one of the more common excuses that educators make for not integrating computer technology into their classrooms.  "I have 23 students and only once computer - I can't use computers with my students!"  Cue Mr. Kassner.  His point is clear and precise- you CAN be effective in using technology with your students in a classroom with limited space and on a limited budget.  You just have to think outside of that ever-present box.

Your students will greatly benefit from the exposure to technology that you can offer them through innovative use of resources and creative planning.  In short, I think the main idea here is not to let a budget get in the way of doing anything and everything to can to reach every student while delivering the highest level of education possible.

PLN # 5

School Administrators + The Real World = Have They Ever Really Met?

This article got me thinking about the aspects of teaching that we as future teachers (me, at least) don't like to think about.  Dealing with, nay, working with the administration of my school is something that I would like to be a pleasant and productive affair.  I like to think that I would comply with all of the guidelines and policies that my administration has in place and be perfectly complacent.  However, I know that may not always be the case.

Does anyone have any adverse scenarios (in terms of working with administrators) that they have experienced that they can share?  What were the resolutions reached?

Picture This/Capture Your Sound

While the Picture This article was a little bit dated for me personally, I still thought that it had solid, valid points to make about the educational applications of sound recording programs.  With diverse classrooms composed of kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learners, it is essential to approach your lesson plans from several angles.  I very much like the that this article is trying to provide insights into how to make a very audio-heavy activity (music-making) accesible to primary visual learners.

Capturing Your Sound was very informative.  I know next to nothing about recording live performances in any respect, but I would very much to utilize it in order to better my future students.  After reading this article, I feel much better prepared to tackle the daunting task of sucessfully recording my students.  The level of technical detail included in this article was perfect.  I now not only understand the type of equipment and how to use it, but why to do so.

PLN #4

Google WAVE!

This week in So You Want To Teach? I read about Google's latest software package, Wave.  It is being billed as how email would be if it had been invented yesterday.  Basically, Google Wave combines all of the "essential" elements of everyday internet activity (email, social networking, instant messaging, and Skype-esque programs) into one central program, complete with drag-and-drop functionality.  According to the post, there is a lot of potential for educators packed into this program, with features like step-by-step review that open up a vast range of possibilities for online group projects and publishing.

If anyone out there has one, I could really use and invite so I can get started!

Sequencing

This week's article of MIDI sequencing was an interesting read for me.  I really enjoyed the fact that the author took the time to offer some definition/history on sequencing and went into detail on how one might most efficiently use this technology in the classroom.  I especially liked the musical games that he devised to quiz his students on what patch (or "program") his synthesizer was using to reproduce a given excerpt.  More reasons to explore the use of MIDI in my future classroom(s).

PLN #3

This week on the Music Teachers Blog, I found a post about conclusive evidence that has been found showing that participating in music actually makes children smarter.  Professor Susan Hallam of the U.K. has shown through her research that over time, children can actually improve their IQ scores by and average of seven points, versus about four points through drama education.  If anyone's interested, the article can be found here.

This is great news for music educators everywhere seeking to justify their programs to fiscally-desperate administrators.